Pepper Jack’s on the move

After 10 glorious years Pepper Jack’s is moving from its home at 217 Western Ave. to a newly refurbished and more spacious location at 192 North Allen St. Having earned quite a reputation for serving students at the Quail Street intersection with cheese steaks, burgers, wraps and burritos, Pepper Jack’s will shut down its Western Avenue location Thursday and re-open on Allen Street after the Christmas weekend. The restaurant will reopen in what was once the old Arita Japanese Restaurant south of the McVeigh Funeral Home.

While the new location is less centralized for students, the owners and employees are excited about the new locale. The Allen Street store has an expanded kitchen for “quicker and efficient service” and off street parking on nearby Buchanan Street, said co-owner Phil Stein.

“We are also looking to expand our delivery area, with more manageable delivery times in a more central location within the city,” Stein said.

A new tenant has not yet been identified for the former location at Quail and Western, but owner Tony Sabatino said he is currently processing about a “half a dozen applicants.”

“At the moment, I can’t say who will be replacing Pepper Jacks on 217 Western Ave. but it is likely to be another food establishment,” Sabatino said. “The location isn’t quite big enough for Pepper Jack’s anymore, and that’s the primary reason behind why they are moving.”

Employee Liz Aiken is looking forward to Pepper Jack’s becoming more integrated into the community.

“I think our reputation will follow us to Allen Street. Obviously there is a massive student base here who make up the majority of our customers, but Phil made the important point that students are only here for six months of the year, so it is important to expand,” Aiken said. “Plus, the new place looks fantastic, it’s going to be great working there.”

The little sandwich shop has always enjoyed rave reviews in the local press and thrived on the satisfaction of its customer base. This looks set to continue as its bland décor of functionality is erased and upgraded to new modern heights.

Pepper Jacks is open Sunday to Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. and operates a free delivery service with a minimum $14 charge. It is also possible to view their menu and order online through their website at www.pepperjacksalbany.com. -30-

4 Responses

My office is a few blocks away. We tried a couple of things from the limited menu before the grand opening, and everything was very good. Look for us to be there on Fridays, our official office lunch day. Welcome to the neighborhood!